What’s it take for a builder to go green? It starts with a desire to learn and a willingness to push the envelope. Then the company has to make a commitment to apply new ideas and new methods on the job.
There are many paths to sustainable building—a production builder’s final choices might not be the same as a custom builder’s. Let’s see how two builders operating in different market segments are blazing trails for others to follow.
In the suburban market of Madison, Wis., four near-zero–energy houses for the DOE Building America program taught Veridian Homes manager Gary Zajicek’s building teams the principles they now implement on scores of Energy Star–labeled, Wisconsin Green Built–certified mid-market homes every year.
In the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, custom builder Kevin Stack, owner of Northeast Natural Homes, demonstrates advanced concepts on LEED-rated upscale country houses, then applies the lessons learned in his consulting work to subsidized low-income housing in Syracuse. As custom builders, says Stack, “we get to identify innovative and cost-effective measures—and then, part of my business is to make them adaptable and affordable to the low-income community.”
Both men are willing to impart what they’ve learned: Zajicek presents seminars on his company’s recycling solutions to local and national audiences; Stack teaches a class on sustainable construction at a local community college and consults for other area builders.
Green builders live by the simpleconservation mantra: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Take lumber, for example: It’s cheap and easy to frame with fewer studs (Reduce). For custom homes, reclaimed flooring made of barn siding or industrial beams makes for a beautiful interior (Reuse). And off-cuts and scraps can be ground up for compost and used for erosion control on site (Recycle). Like complementary species in an ecosystem, production and custom builders have unique strengths in their niches. Big builders can attract bulk users for their scrap, but smaller outfits can more readily incorporate custom touches such as reclaimed wood flooring.
Quality Control That Pays
For Veridian Homes, successful energy performance hinges on quality control and account-ability. Frequent trade ally meetings and comprehensive scopes of work help trades stay on track with effective air-sealing and insulating details. Says manager Gary Zajicek, “That high-quality bath fan will help maintain good air quality while saving energy, but not if it isn’t installed right.” Zajicek teaches trade contractors to inspect each others’ work and to communicate one-to-one in order to keep energy details up to snuff, job after job.